Goals & Accomplishments

What are the goals of the commuter services program for students?

To provide year-around transportation for enrolled Madison College students in the Madison, Fitchburg, Middleton, Monona and Verona areas.

To provide financial savings for students at Madison College, in the form of less wear-and-tear on vehicles, reduced fuel and parking costs, etc.

To reduce traffic stresses within the City of Madison and surrounding communities.

To reduce congestion of vehicles and pedestrians in Madison College parking lots and the city parking structures.

To ease stress on the environment. Metro Transit hybrid buses reduce exhaust emissions by 90%. The city has nearly 2 dozen hybrid buses.

To provide direct, non-stop shuttle service between the following Madison College campuses: Downtown & Truax, Downtown & West and Downtown & South.

To educate students about all the options for commuters.

To provide incentives for commuters who reduce their carbon footprint by walking, biking, car-pooling, using shuttles and buses.

To work with college staff and administrators on the Transportation Demand Management Plan for Madison College.

How has the commuter services program improved over the last 12 years?

YEAR 2000 - When the program began for Madison College students in 2000, only fall and spring semester bus rides were included. Within the first few years of the program, the Student Senate worked to add summer services and then para-transit services.

YEARS 2004 and 2005 - Greater accountability was established with specially designed passes in 2004 and with the installation of pass-readers in 2005. The Student Senate negotiated with Metro Transit to install a digital sign at Truax to indicate arrival times of buses, thus allowing students to wait indoors for their buses.

Over the years, Metro Transit has added more and more hybrid buses to their fleet, making transportation cleaner and quieter. The Metro-Transit-Tracker service provides real-time bus arrivals for every stop deliverable right to student cell-phones and PDAs. Students may sign-up for rider alerts, as well.

YEAR 2010 - In 2010, the Student Senate launched the Campus-to-Campus Shuttle Program, with non-stop service between the Downtown and Truax campuses. Students asked for the shuttle to run longer into the afternoon and the service was extended to run from 7 am to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday on class-days. Likewise, students asked for shuttle service between the Downtown and West campuses. The West Shuttle has been established, but reports low ridership numbers.

YEAR 2011 - In the fall of 2011, the Student Senate purchased a bike rack for the front of the East Shuttle. Students asked for this and use it all the time. A rack will be considered for the West Shuttle, if ridership significantly increases from current levels.

YEAR 2012 - Beginning for the 2012-13 academic year, the Student Senate seeks to reduce shuttle crowding by increasing the number of runs between the Downtown Campus and the Truax Campus. The East Shuttle will provide 10 more runs per day, than in previous semesters.

Beginning in the fall of 2012, the Commuter Services fee of $46 per semester (summer) includes all services: bus, para-transit, parking and shuttle.

YEAR 2014 - In the spring semester of 2014, the Student Senate launched a pilot program, running a shuttle between the Downtown Campus and the South Campus. The South Shuttle continues to roll!

YEAR 2015 - Wifi services was added to the East Shuttle. The East Shuttle added a "rolling stop" at the Commercial Avenue Campus, as well.